[Review] War Horse (2011)

cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Niels Arestrup, Eddie Marsan, Toby Kebbell, David Kross, Peter Mullan, Liam Cunningham

directed by: Steven Spielberg

“Wherever you are, I will find you and I will bring you home” (Albert)

Here I am standing in front the draft I wrote for “War Horse” after I saw the movie, two years ago. If there’s something I find it hard is to write about a movie I enjoyed. It’s the good old feeling of chocking on your words, writing, deleting and writing once more then saving a draft and letting it stay in a folder until the day you come back and try to pick up from where you left. Happened a couple of times until today. Why is it so hard? It’s a damned if I do and damned if I don’t moment. Pour yourself a shoot of whisky or a strong coffee and brace yourself because this is finally having the long awaited moment of closure. Do you want to know a little secret? I have dozens of drafts waiting the light of day and guess what? I’m finally letting them out, one by one. “War Horse”, what was writing in 2012, re-worked, re-done and finally ready. Welcome to my nightmare, I don’t even call it a writers block. It’s a weird mix of wanting to be perfect – like there’s such a thing – and having to face the music when it’s out there. It’s going to be rather long, it might feel emotional and I really don’t give a damn. Not one bit.

“War Horse” started as a book written by Michael Morpugo and had been adapted for stage by Nick Stafford. I really could go into a ”why the First World War had such an impact on UK and what’s the deal with the war horses?”. UK lost over 880.000 men and according to Morpugo’s research close to a million horses died on the British side, only 62.000 returned home.

You have that knot in your throat already? No. Give it a got for the movie. I tell you, the best movie experience is to actually let the story sink in. Yes, feel. It’s scary. It’s the worst things when trying to be objective but it happens and when it’s good it’s actually the best thing in the world. Why was this movie a bane for a book to movie treatment? The story is told from a horse perspective and that isn’t cheap when you think of the effects and number of horses and extras surrounding this little project. Tell that to Stafford and tell that to Steven Spielberg.

“From the moment I read Michael Morpurgo’s novel War Horse, I knew this was a film I wanted DreamWorks to make … Its heart and its message provide a story that can be felt in every country”, said Spielberg, the man behind some ”small” movies like E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List or Saving Private Ryan, just to name a couple. In charge of the script came Richard Curtis and Lee Hall, Curtis having wrote for BBC “Blackadder goes forth”, series set during the World War 1.

In 1912 Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan) from Devon decided against all odds, logic, common sense and the money he clearly didn’t come by easily to get a thoroughbred horse. This is the first act of the movie, we get to meet this amazing horse named Joey by Albert (Jeremy Irvine). The family needed a plough horse and what they have now is a fancy horse. 30 guineas paid for a horse meant the little family wouldn’t be able to pay the rent and Lyons (David Thewlis) is more than happy to tease and ridicule Ted. It all falls on Joey and Albert. Saving the farm and getting the money. Albert trains Joey for the plough with the whole village watching stunned as a fine horse like Joey is able to pick up the skills explained by Albert. Joey trusts and obeys Albert’s commands.

Everything turns for worse quickly as the First World War starts. Joey is sold to captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) who promises to return the horse to Joey. He can’t deliver on his promise as his calvary unit is crushed under the firepower of the German army. Joey and Major Stewart’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) mount, Topthorn end up being cared by two German soldiers, two boys not even legally old enough to be soldering, Michael (Leonard Carow) and Gunther (David Kross). Another charge, another stroke of bad-luck. The boys had tried to make it to Italy, the older brother wanting to keep his promise made to their mother to keep his little brother alive, but they’re caught and they meet the firing squad with dignity.

Joey and Topthorn continue their journey now being kept and taken care of my Emilie (Celine Buckens), a young orphan girl who is raised by her grandfather (Niels Arestrup). The sickly girl is  protected by the old man and finally allows her, as a birthday present to ride the horse. One might think by this point that the pennant Joey has stolen from his father and tied to Joey bridle is cursed because tragedy is a close companion to the two stallions. They end up pulling German heavy artillery, an exhausting task which kills horses quickly. It was the fate of these amazing creatures during WW1 to perish agonizingly.

Four years go by – or so I might believe if Joey was been sold to captain Nicholls in 1914 and with Albert enlisting in 1918, fighting in the Second Battle of the Somme – Joey and Topthorn continue their hard service in the German army until one day Topthorn finally collapses from exhaustion and injuries and dies. Joey escapes and finds itself in no-man’s land, where it gallops furiously through the Somme battlefield until it gets entangled in the barbed wire barriers. The horse is spotted by both sides and two soldiers, a British one, Colin (Toby Kebbell) and Peter (Hinnerk Schonemann) come and set him free, Joey ending up in the care of Colin who tries to get the miraculous horse to a doctor. The army doctor (Liam Cunningham) finally takes a look and decides the best thing for Joey is to be put out his misery, the wound on his leg being too severe.

Albert who has been treated in that makeshift hospital hears the tale about this horse and decides to call him using the owl signals he taught the colt back in Devon. No one seems to believe his tale as Albert stays in front of the regiment, a bandage over his eyes explaining how he knows this is his horse, the horse he raised from birth, a horse he had to give up and after so long, he had found only to be parted once more. Colin and the whole unit are moved by his tale and as the armistice becomes a reality, Albert is given the news he has to leave Joey behind, only the officers horses being shipped home. Luck, divine intervention, you name it makes it possible for Albert to keep his horse after being outbid by a mysterious figure who turns out to be Emilie’s grand-father. The old man wanted to take care of this amazing horse for the sake of his grand-daughter’s memory. Moved by Albert’s story, he lets the young man have his friend back and Albert once he’s back home, returns the pennant to his father.

This movie has been made to move the audience, it’s that simple without any other flourished words and debate. And it was been done beautifully. Janusz Kaminski cinematography reminds us of the old Hollywood movies like “Gone with the wind” with deep bright red and orange setting skys and a wide range angle chosen for filming. John Williams music is haunting and reminiscent of the big productions of years gone, both epic and touching.

“When I’m on an Indy movie, I’m watching Indiana Jones, not the horse he is riding … Suddenly I’m faced with the challenge of making a movie where I not only had to watch the horse, I had to compel the audience to watch it along with me. I had to pay attention to what it was doing and understand its feelings. It was a whole new experience for me” (Steven Spielberg)

Fourteen horses were used for Joey, four for Topthron. Personally,  I believe there should have been a special Oscar invented at some point for this type of roles.

“The Michael Morpurgo book is ‘Black Beauty goes to war’. So if you’re English, two of the most emotive subjects you could touch on are Black Beauty and the First World War. The crew were constantly in tears, as there were war memorials and everybody had a story in their family … for English people, everyone is touched by that war” (Emily Watson/Rosie Naracott)

The cast is English, French and German with Jeremy Irvine having gone through various tests until he got the role of Albert although Eddie Redmayne has been rumored to have been given the part. Irvine although not experience with epic-big budget movies felt easily in the shoes of Albert, delivering a solid, heartfelt performance. British rising stars, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch played the roles of the Cavalry officers, captain Nicholls and major Stewart. Although the two don’t have many lines, there’s something in the way they stare at the camera. According to Hiddleston, Spielberg asked him to look at the camera an convey the emotions of a young man who realizes he will not make it alive. Cumberbatch has a similar scene, after being captured by the German unit, his character is forced to realize the choice of strategy he has picked has sealed the fate of the war and the lives of the soldiers under his command, his friends never coming back home, himself not surviving this war.

Spielberg gave each character who crosses paths with Joey a moment to shine, from the British Officers to the two German brothers. It feels at some point treading on a fine line and stumbling into cliche Hell but the movie chooses some cliches and for a war movie it shows little blood on screen. PG-13, “War Horse” isn’t a “Private Ryan” copy and didn’t want to be one. It’s close to a tribute movie to old Hollywood, to a dear story and to a style many directors have laid to rest.

“War Horse” feeds on the emotions it gives to the audience. It’s a stage to movie adaptation fit for children and adults alike.

“[…]seen the stage play and he wanted to retain the magic and heartbeat of that … It’s a moving, powerful story you can take children to see, but it is still very upsetting … People die, and it is war” (Tom Hiddleston)

Some movies haunt you from the moment you set foot inside a cinema and linger in your mind for years to come. To say something about them, to write a few words about them feels like an impossible challenge because they did something astonishing. They tapped into that movie magic notion and used that mojo on you. If that happens, I say: embrace this feeling. Feel the words, let the music surround you, enjoy the sight, cry, laugh. Feel. Not many movies to that and those capable of rising some sort of emotions should be cherished.

I’m finally able to close a draft for “War Horse” and put final version in the title. Many more to come. Stick around.

Trailer: